One of the best ways to learn something is to watch an expert doing it.

As students at Dover High School experienced Thursday, sometimes an even better way to learn from the experts is to perform with them.

Members of Dover's drama club participated in two hour-long workshops Thursday morning with three actors and a stage manager from the Arkansas Repertory Theatre.

The workshops were interactive and were designed to help students interested in drama learn a little more about acting, according to actor Sheridan Essman.

"The idea behind these workshops is for the students to have some fun and to experience some of the things we do in training," Essman said. "If they want to go into theatre, this is a good way for them to get some exposure to the basics."

Essman, along with actors Peter Eli Johnson and Joshua Gibby and stage manager Libby Mickle, are members of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre's Actors In Education (AIE) Company.

The AIE Company takes theatrical productions on statewide education tours in both the fall and spring semesters. This year's performances both feature the works of William Shakespeare - "Will-to-Laugh" and an abridged version of "The Comedy of Errors."

"Will-to-Laugh" is a compilation of seven Shakespearean comedies, poems and romances. Two performances of "Will-to-Laugh" were slated for audiences Thursday in Dover.

According to Essman, the play is a good choice for a public school audience because of the lack of exposure most students have to Shakespeare's comedic works.

"A lot of times in high schools, the students are exposed to the tragedies through their literature classes," she said. "But, unless a teacher just happens to choose a comedy to study, they aren't likely to know much about Shakespeare's comedies.

"His comedies are fun and upbeat and physical. Shakespeare is meant to be seen, not just read. So our desire is to bring that side of Shakespeare to them and to expose them to theatre in ways they might not otherwise get."

The production is directed by Brad Mooy, artistic associate and literary manager at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre.

"Presenting Shakespeare to young people who are between middle school and college can be a challenge, but I strive to make productions for younger audiences active and accessible while preserving the integrity of the plays' themes and language," Mooy states on the Arkansas Repertory Theatre's Web site.

But while the AIE Company provides exposure to students through a free viewing of the play, the actors also work with the students one-on-one through workshop sessions.

Essman said she and her fellow actors put together the activities for the two workshops using materials from their days as students.

"We've all had training on the college level, and we just pulled from our experiences different exercises that we had done in class," she said.

Different groups of students react differently to the exercises, Essman said. Dover's students were particularly energetic, she added.

"This group was very enthusiastic," Essman said. "For the most part, we get really good groups of kids who are ready to learn and willing to do the activities.

"For a small community, Dover has a really good group of students interested in drama. I was very impressed when I was watching them."

Essman is an Arkansas State University graduate, and Johnson is a graduate of Western Washington University. Both are pursuing a master's degree in acting at Western Illinois University. Gibby is a University of Central Arkansas graduate, while Mickle is a LaGrange College graduate. Both Gibby and Mickle have graduate degrees in theatre.

Both Essman and Gibby have toured Arkansas schools through their undergraduate theatre programs at ASU and UCA. Essman, whose previous touring included a Shakespeare program, said she was drawn to the idea of sharing Shakespeare with students, bringing with her an element that students may not get to experience in their normal curriculum.

Gibby, a 21-year-old Morrilton native whose previous touring experience included a visit to his hometown middle school, said he is looking forward to the challenge of working with older students.

The actors are required to be well-versed in Shakespearean history and themes, as they begin each scene of "Will-to-Laugh," including a scene from "The Comedy of Errors," with a short introduction to the featured play.

Mickle is responsible for all technical duties such as setting up and running sound equipment, maintaining the company's extensive wardrobe and props and placing and removing the set.